🔧 BUILD Mike K's Lamborghini Super Build

[Mike K]

Is it staying that color combo? Cause I like that.

It is. That's actually a wrap.

 

[Mike K]

Late to the party, so 4.0 twin turbo v8

Same one as the Cayenne GTS, RSQ8 and I believe the RS7/ RS6 too.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

So are you happier you made money off of it? Or would you have been happier owning it?

 

[EmersonHart13]

So he hasn't smashed it yet?

Impressed

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Awesome, can’t wait for the next nail biter headache you tackle

 

[IDAFC21]

ooooooooo daaaaaaammmmmnnnn

 

[Mike K]

So are you happier you made money off of it? Or would you have been happier owning it?

Tough call. Happy I fixed it because it's zero risk really. And I did work as I was paid. So even if I would have gotten to a point where I was stumped, I wouldn't have been in a position where I had all of his money and no car to give him.

Now that it's running and I've driven it, I have such a wild appreciation for what it is and the engineering behind getting something that big to move that fast and that nimble but, and maybe it's because I know all of that engineering, I have a hard time rationalizing how I'd ever pay that kind of money for a car that is guaranteed to depreciate. The Lamborghini is a lie. There's an Atlas parked in front of my neighbor's house. It has the same profile as the Urus. Because it is a Urus. The identical sound system and infotainment setup can be found in a $40,000 used Q7. The interior is nice but it's Audi. Strip away the missile launch start button and you have an Audi. The back seat is just... lame. It's identical to the Q7 I believe. Just a basic bench.

Nothing about this car is bespoke. People ragged on Maserati 10 years ago with the Ghibli. Lovely chassis and engine but with Chrysler switchgear. The only difference, I suppose, is that Chrysler switchgear was (and is) junk whereas an Audi interior and infotainment system is still a really nice starting point. But the point remains that so much of what makes this car great is available elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. The B&O sound system, massage seats, air suspension and four wheel steering... all available in the Q7. As are the active roll bars. Go and read reviews of the 2017+ Q7 with the active handling package. They rave about the way it drives. That's because it's using the same steering rack both front and rear, as the Urus. The only thing that makes this car appreciably better is that it's tuned to be ridiculous. That and other performance stuff like the carbon ceramic brakes. But even that stuff can be had on the nearly mechanically identical RSQ8. Or hell, if you're going to get an MLB EVO platform vehicle, save yourself the money and get a used Bentayga which will give you 85% of the experience, all of the brand exclusivity and save you over 50%.

There's an illusion when you're buying a Huracan or a Gallardo that it's this massively engineered, bespoke vehicle and you're paying for that exclusivity and engineering. If you're someone that knows cars, that illusion doesn't exist with the Urus. You realize pretty quickly that you're looking at the same product with different packaging and the biggest difference, by far, is just tuning. And that's disappointing. But it sure does look nice.

 

[frank]

It’s all about the logo envy, and the rarity of the car on the streets!

But once again only 2% of car owners are enthusiasts and understand that a lambo / Audi/ skoda/ seat and vw share powertrain / suspension components.

The other 98% of car owners feel they are getting something better the peasants driving around them.

 

[Mike K]

I should also mention... It's done. Other than having to have component protection removed on a corner radar sensor, it's finished and it's finished in a way I'm actually proud of. I did it like my Maserati. I didn't want the kind of situation where you look at a salvage car and it's fine but it's missing brackets and air diverters... stuff that doesn't matter but that makes the car look like it was clearly fixed. His car has all the original air dams, inner fender liners, brackets, etc. Nothing is zip tied except for the intercooler air funnel going to the Q7 intercooler. The Q7 intercooler was a point of contention with me. I thought it was identical. I was wrong. It's taller but not as thick. I was going to replace it at first but now that I've driven it, I've decided to leave it. You'd only know if you take the car apart and you'd only realize the added benefits of the actual Lambo cooler if you were tracking the car which, lol. No. This guy is not doing that. So the Q7 intercooler stays.

Other than that, my biggest concern was whether or not it would align. If you remember, the lower control arm tweaked its mounting point on the subframe and I had to use ratchet straps to get the new control arm into the subframe which means it was for sure tweaked one way or the other. I told him straight up early on. Let's see if it aligns and if it does, great. If it doesn't, we'll replace the subframe. But it aligned fine and drives straight. So the difference is probably small enough that the bushing is able to accommodate.

Overall though, now that it's all said and done, if you're a wrencher, go grab yourself a copart car. There is something super satisfying about getting into a car like that or even my Ghibli, knowing that you figured out and rebuilt a car that few people can even work on mechanically, let alone put one back together. It's a satisfying experience every time I go out there and there's a full running car sitting there. I remember it getting dragged off a tow truck when it came.